


Ghost Ship

by MerlinFicDriveThru



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pirate, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-01
Updated: 2015-10-01
Packaged: 2018-04-24 05:30:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,063
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4907287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MerlinFicDriveThru/pseuds/MerlinFicDriveThru
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt: Merthur AU. Arthur is a pirate and meets merman!Merlin.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ghost Ship

Arthur was slushing the mast when he saw the man out at sea. He was just a black and white dot in an endless span of blue, but Arthur recognized the way the arms moved at his sides and the tilt of a head sideways.

The boson’s chair was swaying dangerously in the wind an Arthur’s hands were black and stunk like old meat from the grease.  He waved at the sailor who was holding his rope to lower him, waving harder when the sailor didn’t hurry fast enough.

“There’s someone out there.” He pointed out at the direction he’d seen the man. Nothing but blue water to the horizon met him when he looked over it. “There was, I saw them. They must have gone under.”  
“I don’t think there’s much we can do then, Arthur.” Gwaine frowned. “If they’re under, then they’re drowned.”

“Or a siren.” Captain Elyan winked. “Maybe a pretty lady out there trying to snag Arthur for their bone collection.”

Arthur growled and went back to his chair. “You guys are ridiculous. There was someone out there, but sure, let’s just let them drown.”

Arthur had never gotten used to that part of being a pirate. The ability to just not bother with a lost cause was completely foreign to him. He’d been raised to try until he broke.

But that was an old life.

And he wasn’t a prince anymore. He was a boatswain, and that was close enough.

“Aye, Gwaine, hoist me back up if you’re done mooning over siren ladies.” Arthur shrugged the bucket of slush back onto his shoulders. “I’ve got to get this mast done.”

“Course, Princess. Wouldn’t want your hands to blister.” Gwaine laughed. “But that was Captain mooning over siren ladies.”

“Whatever. No one should be mooning over anyone while there’s work to do.”

Arthur was halfway done when he saw the person again.

They were closer now, and staring at Arthur with a mesmerizing blue gaze.

Arthur nearly fell from the ropes. “Well, shit.”

Elyan had been right about one thing. They were a siren. Just not a pretty lady.

They weren’t singing though. Instead, they watched Arthur, moving with the ship, ducking under whenever one of the other men made a noise. Arthur continued to spread slush against the sea-rotted wood, glancing at the mysterious creature on occasion.

“Princess, I thought you were in a hurry. That siren’s long gone by now,” Gwaine yelled up. “Stop looking for him and get your arse going.”

“Shut it Gwaine, or I’ll have you scraping barnacles the next time we’re in port,” He shouted back down.

“Hey, you know I can still let go of this and drop you, right?” Gwaine waved the rope around, and Arthur felt the chair drop beneath him. Luckily, it didn’t drop far.

He finished just as the sun was beginning to set, checking over the water one last time for the mystery person. They weren’t there. The creature and their blue eyes and their curious tilt of their head stuck in Arthur’s mind all through dinner.

Sirens were bad luck. Even if they didn’t sing, they usually meant death was coming.

And that siren, when not staring at Arthur with wonder, had looked so sad.

He wasn’t surprised the next day when Gwaine began to cough.

He’d asked Elyan to give Gwaine a few days off and both of them had nodded with grim understanding.

Arthur had gone to the deck that night to strum out a tune and avoid the chilling absence of Gwaine’s voice. He thought he heard a song in the water, full of the sorrow he didn’t want.

The day after that Leon and Morgana were in the forecastle with chills and dizzy spells.

Arthur and Elyan discussed what to do with so much of their crew down. Arthur worked as hard as he could and Elyan worked even harder, desperate to save their ship and their home.

Arthur couldn’t make himself eat at all that night. He spent it on the deck again, watching the water and looking for the moon to shine off wet skin. His breath caught when he saw the siren’s head bob up, pink lips whispering comforts.

Arthur knew it was the magic, but he reached anyway. What use was a dying ship when there was someone so alive out there?

The siren had disappeared again, fear in their eyes.

He wasn’t even surprised when he felt the onset of fever or the tremor of chill in his bones.

He went to tell Elyan, but Elyan was coughing beside Gwaine and there was no use.

They’d be a ghost ship, floating on the water and full of bones.

Arthur spent his day on the deck, stuck between sleeping and waking and dying.

“You’re a prince,” a voice like silk called from the sea, nearly blending into the ebb and flow of the waves. “You’re Arthur. Why are you on a pirate ship?”

“You’re a siren. Why did you run away when I reached for you?”

“You’re pretty. And you’re kind. And you’re funny.” The siren flinched. “My name is Merlin. I saw the sickness coming. I thought I could help.”

“You can’t heal us. I’ve heard the legends.”

“I can’t save anyone, but I can save you.” Merlin pulled himself up from the water, cold hand soothing Arthur’s fevered cheek. “I can take you to a place where illness cannot follow.”

“You’re going to drown me, aren’t you?” Arthur took a deep breath and turned his head into the dripping palm. He could feel magic like a cloak stifling his thoughts. “That’s what siren’s do.”

“Drowning isn’t as hard as you think it is,” Merlin sighed and rested his head against Arthur’s. “I wouldn’t let you die. You wanted to save me.”

“People die when they drown, Merlin.” Arthur leaned forward, eyes closing against the salty smell of Merlin.

“Not where I’m taking you.” Merlin kissed him, a flood of sweet magic and sad song. “Do you agree?”

“Yes.” It was barely a breath, barely a nod in the night.

Merlin pulled him over.

Drowning was easy. He didn’t have time to think about breathing or fighting or dying.

Merlin kissed him until he wasn’t sick any more, until his body didn’t jerk, until his movements became calm in the water.

And then Arthur opened his eyes.


End file.
